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Belgium cable operator tests LTE

The Belgium cable company Telenet has started the country's first trial of LTE in the city of Mechelen using three new antennas especially designed to provide mobile data traffic.

The company said it would continue to focus on mobile data as it saw little potential in competing in the saturated mobile voice market, adding that, while 3G was OK, "if you're a serious company, like us, you need to go for LTE. We really believe that if LTE works, it is the best way forward," stated CEO, Duco Sickinghe.

The CEO claimed that Telenet's ability to offer high-speed data services alongside its more traditional offering of fixed-line broadband and cable TV was key as the company battles for market share with Belgian incumbent Belgacom.

Telenet, which currently operates as an MVNO on Mobistar's network, said that it was keen to expand its mobile activities and would be interested in acquiring spectrum. The Belgian telecoms regulator has already confirmed that it would be offering RF frequencies well-suited to mobile broadband services this summer.

Sickinghe maintained that the company would need to know exactly what a radio spectrum licence would be worth to the company, and also needed to understand what the benefits of providing mobile broadband to customers could be.